Despite the recent announcement by OPEC signaling cuts in oil production, global oil prices are expected to remain low—an ongoing challenge for US state and local governments that rely on taxes or other revenues from energy resources to fund their budgets.

After final permits for the Dakota Access pipeline were denied, the Army Corps of Engineers plans to assess alternative routes. Experts from RFF and Stanford recently examined local zoning, environmental concerns, community preference, and other factors as they relate to shale gas and oil development siting decisions.